Pease family collection of sketchbooks and exercise books, 1814-1909.

The collection is open without restriction.
Edward Pease, born in 1767, was to become known as "the father of the English Railways" for his role in founding the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825. The S&D Railway, used primarily for the transportation of industrial cargo between various towns along the Tees River, was the first English steam railway. Edward's diaries, published by Alfred Edward Pease in 1907, offer an extensive personal and social history of the early to mid nineteenth century. Some of the Pease diaries and other personal writings have been published, while others remain in the family, or are kept in local record offices in Durham County. The YCBA collection of Pease family items represents the descendants of Edward Pease, including his son, Henry Pease (1807-1881), and his granddaughters, Emma and Jane Pease, who were the daughters of Joseph Pease, the first Quaker M.P. The collection also contains material pertaining to the family of Edward's grandson, Sir Joseph Whitwell Pease, the first Quaker Baronet, and his great-great grandson, Christopher York Pease, who was killed in the First World War.
The Pease family are remarkable as an example of a nineteenth century success story--success that sprung largely from their pivotal role in the development of English railroads over the course of the century. In the Victorian era, they became well established and prosperous, taking part in politics and enjoying a lavish lifestyle. They were one of the most prominent Quaker families of their time. This aspect of their identity affected their business decisions, their marriages, and their lifestyles as their fortunes rose, and the Peases' changing relationship with their faith is described in many histories and memoirs about them.
Of particular interest is an album of drawings and watercolors by Lady Mary W. Pease concerning the family's Hutton Hall estate (Oversize 2). Hutton Hall was designed for Joseph Whitwell Pease in 1868 by architect Alfred Waterhouse, who is perhaps best known for his work in designing the Natural History Museum in London. The drawings in the Hutton Hall album demonstrate an intimate knowledge of the family home, record the style of décor that the Peases used, document family outings close by and further away (especially to Scotland), and show two other Pease properties. It includes botanical studies, designs for wallpaper patterns, and still lifes of domestic items like cooking pots and utensils.
The collection comprises sketchbooks, watercolors, photographs, and school exercise books. It sheds light on the changing customs of the Pease family, as they rose to prominence in industry and politics over the 19th century, on different practices and standards of education for boys and girls during this time, and on the lifestyle of prosperous Victorian families, which included travel and grand homes in multiple locations. Items in the collection were mostly created by children and women of various generations and document their education, travel, and domestic life. The collection documents aspects of women's leisure life in the 19th century, especially their amateur artistic practice.
The collection is arranged into two series: I. Sketchbooks and drawings; II. Exercise books.